Furzehill Common 3: a stone alignment and associated cairn 585m north west of Hoaroak

Reasons for Designation

Exmoor is the most easterly of the three main upland areas in the south western peninsula of England. In contrast to the others, Dartmoor and Bodmin Moor, there has been no history of antiquarian research and little excavation of its monuments. However, detailed survey work by the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England has confirmed a comparable richness of archaeological remains, with evidence of human exploitation and occupation from the Mesolithic period to the present day. Many of the field monuments surviving on Exmoor date from the later prehistoric period. Examples include burial mounds (`barrows'), standing stones, stone settings and stone alignments. Stone alignments (also known as stone rows) are rare on Exmoor and they can occur as single rows, double rows, or, extremely rarely, as a combination of the two types. They can vary in length from 12m to 420m, with the stones usually set at close intervals. Stone alignments were being constructed and used from the Late Neolithic period to the Middle Bronze Age (c.2500-1000BC) and provide rare evidence of ceremonial and ritual practices during these periods. The recorded examples on Exmoor form an important subgroup of the total population and all are considered to be of national importance.





The stone alignment and terminal cairn known jointly as Furzehill Common 3, survives well and has been the subject of research by The University of Exeter. It has been shown to be part of a complex of standing stones, stone settings and burial cairns within an area of 1 sq km around the upper reaches of the Hoaroak and Warcombe streams and is indicative of a rich and complex prehistoric ritual landscape. The monument will retain archaeological and environmental evidence relating to its erection and the landscape in which it was constructed and there is the potential for the discovery of further stones forming part of the monument.

Details

The monument includes a stone alignment and terminal cairn running diagonally across the gently rounded crest of Furzehill Common, lying between the upper reaches of the Hoaroak Water and Warcombe Water. The stone alignment, known as Furzehill Common 3, comprises at least ten standing stones forming a row 66m long running in a slight curve from the north west to the south east. All of the stones are very low and they vary between 0.03m to a maximum of 0.2m in height, whilst widths vary between 0.13m to 0.34m. The stones are between 0.08m to 0.15m thick. Four stones at the south east end of the row are set at an average of 2.5m apart, with one stone perhaps missing from the centre of the group. There is a gap of approximately 15m between this group and the other six known stones of the row; it is possible that further stones lie hidden by peat in this gap. The six stones of the north western end of the row vary in their spacing but again hidden stones may account for this. At 7.5m beyond the last recognised stone at the north west end of the row, and centred at SS73784401, is a circular mound 5.7m in diameter and 0.4m high with an offset depression 1.2m in diameter; some stone from the body of the mound was visible. This feature is believed to be a terminal cairn indicating the north west end of the stone alignment and is therefore considered to be part of the monument.

MAP EXTRACT The site of the monument is shown on the attached map extract. It includes a 2 metre boundary around the archaeological features, considered to be essential for the monument's support and preservation.

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:

25217

Legacy System:

RSM

Sources

Other
Dunn C J and Quinnell, N V, Lithic Monuments within the Exmoor National Park: a new survey, 1992, Unpublished report for RCHME
Condition assessment for Exeter Uni, Blackmore, O, Field Observation, (2001)

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